RASC Annual Report 1982
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Supplement to the JOURNAL of the ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY of CANADA ANNUAL REPORT 1982 APRIL 1983 PRESIDENTS OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 1890-1894 C. Carpmael 1940- J.A. Pearce 1895- L.W. Smith 1941-1942 F.S. Hogg 1896-1987 J.A. Paterson 1943-1944 A.V. Douglas 1898-1899 A. Harvey 1945-1946 A.E. Johns 1900-1902 G.E. Lumsden 1947-1948 J.W. Campbell 1902-1903 R.F. Stupart 1949-1950 A. Thomson 1904-1907 C.A. Chant 1951-1952 C.S. Beals 1908-1909 W.B. Musson 1953-1954 J.F. Heard 1910-1911 A.T. DeLury 1955-1957 R.M. Petrie 1912-1913 L.B. Stewart 1957-1959 H.S. Hogg 1914-1915 J.S. Plaskett 1959-1960 A. McKellar 1916-1917 A.D. Watson 1960-1962 P.M. Millman 1918-1919 A.F. Miller 1962-1964 A.J. Northcott 1920-1921 J.R. Collins 1964-1966 K.O. Wright 1922-1923 W.E.W. Jackson 1966-1968 M.M. Thomson 1924-1925 R.M. Stewart 1968-1970 J.E. Kennedy 1926-1927 A.F. Hunter 1970-1972 H. Simard 1928-1929 W.E. Harper 1972-1974 J.L. Locke 1930-1931 H.R. Kingston 1974-1976 J.D. Femie 1932-1933 R.K. Young 1976-1978 A.H Batten 1934-1935 L. Gilchrist 1978-1980 J.R. Percy 1936-1937 R.E. DeLury 1980-1982 I. Halliday 1938-1939 W. Findlay 1982- F. Loehde SECRETARIES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Corresponding Secretary 1890-1901; Secretary 1902-1919, General Secretary 1920-1949; National Secretary 1950 onwards. 1890-1899 G.E. Lumsden 1932-1935 R.A. Gray 1900-1902 W.B. Musson 1935-1958 E.J.A. Kennedy 1902-1917 J.R. Collins 1958-1964 J.E. Kennedy 1918-1919 W.E.W. Jackson 1964-1971 N. Green 1920-1923 A.F. Hunter 1971-1974 C.E. Hodgson 1924-1927 F.T. Stanford 1974-1977 D.J. FitzGerald 1928-1931 L. Gilchrist 1978-1980 N. Green 1981- R.P. Broughton THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT The Annual Report of the Society provides considerable insight into the activities of the Centres and your National Council. The 1982 edition is no exception. It presents a fascinating picture of the wide range of endeavours undertaken by the amateur and professional astronomers of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The “hands-on” work such as variable star observing, comet search, telescopic equipment design and construction and even ‘virtual’ nova discoveries confirm our members’ commitment to the world’s oldest yet newest science. As even greater indication of their desire to promote astronomy are the extensive public education programs that they have devised to introduce even more people to our “first love”. Despite the current prolonged economic slump we’ve been experiencing, our membership has held up remarkably well and in some Centres, with special efforts, we’ve seen increases occur. We are still receiving inquiries about forming new Centres. It is a healthy sign. During 1982, on behalf of the Society and in conjunction with the National Museum of Science and Technology and the National Research Council, our immediate Past-President, Dr. Ian Halliday, and our Second Vice-President, Mary Grey, undertook to publish a series of useful and bilingual News Bulletins on Hailey’s Comet, due for a perihelion visit in 1985-86. This year saw the General Assembly go to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and the host’s organizing committee provided excellent weather, excellent facilities, and a good program for all the delegates including a tour of tum-of-the century Saskatchewan at the Western Development Museum. The paper session was well handled by the Physics Department’s Dr. Ray Skinner. At the Assembly Banquet the Simon Newcomb Award was presented to Phil Mozel from Toronto and our new National Librarian, for his excellent paper on “The Woodstock College Observatory”. For outstanding service to their respective centres and to the Society as a whole the Service Medal was presented to Dr. Douglas Hube of Edmonton and Gordon Patterson of Saskatoon. Many awards were given to individuals and Centres for the first-class work done in the observing disciplines. On the lighter and more social side of the Assembly delegates were treated to an entertaining array of slides and movies depicting everything under the sun and the traditional “high standard” in pyramid building and creative artistry in the song contest was maintained in Saskatoon. The efforts and success of Saskatoon Centre members in the 1982 General Assembly proved beyond doubt that quality of mem bership means more than quantity of membership. Thank you again. In the spring the Canada-wide Science Fair was held in Toronto and three astronomically-related entries won recognition for their student creators from our Society and memberships in their local Centres. They were Keith Hitchon of Calgary, Jeffrey Hatt of Toronto and Michael Buckthought of Ottawa. During the year a donation of $30,000 from a Society member was gratefully received and an ad hoc committee’s recommendation that it be used to assist Council Members defray their travel expenses to Council meetings was accepted. Our publications continue to be popular under the editorships of Dr. Roy Bishop for the Observer’s Handbook, Dr. Alan Batten for the Jo u r n a l and Dr. Ralph Chou for the National Newsletter. The Observer’s Handbook is in considerable demand around the English-speaking world and the requests for duplication rights have made it necessary to have our new solicitor, Blake F. Kinahan, draw up a licensing agreement to handle such requests. Our Society is indeed fortunate to have from amongst its members many very talented individuals who gladly serve the Society. Our out-going President Dr. Ian Halliday, former Recorder Harlan Creighton, and long time librarian Frederic Troyer are excellent examples. We must thank them for the excellent jobs they performed. If the past is any guide we will undoubtedly be benefiting from their good advice years from now. Thank you for the past and the future of the Society. The big challenge for the coming year facing our Society and our Centres in particular will be to build a future based upon our successful past efforts and tempered by today’s economic realities. We must find even better ways in which our Society can serve its members. I am confident that we will meet this challenge, as we have others in the past, and continue building an organization which is the envy of many around the world. FRANKLIN C. LOEHDE, President REPORT OF THE NATIONAL SECRETARY 1982 saw the patriation of Canada’s new constitution, and so it seems appropriate to reflect on our Society’s constitution and how well we are living up to the objects it sets forth. The reports from the Centres contained in this Annual Report give us strong evidence that we can be proud of our endeavours. We are stimulating interest and promoting and increasing knowledge of astronomy through excellent lecture programs, public star nights, campground talks, scout and guide training; we are maintaining and acquiring more and more impressive observatories, telescopes, and other equipment all the time; we do publish an amazing array of Centre publications in addition to our national publications; we do make grants to Centres and make awards to individuals to further their study and advancement of astronomy. Let us proclaim these worthwhile accomplishments and let us applaud those active members who have given much to sustain these goals. We should also acknowledge those who have helped the Society financially - the very generous donor of the $30,000 which, we hope, will give members from across the country easier access to participation in Society meetings and will allow them to assume a more active role in the National organization, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council grant, and the grant from the Province of Ontario. Finally, as anyone dealing with the National Office knows, we owe many thanks to our executive sectretary, Rosemary Freeman, who really keeps the gears of the Society oiled and turning in spite of the wrenches some of us may throw in from time to time. The following list of membership figures, as of September, which she has compiled, is an indication of her careful and extensive record-keeping. 1981 1982 Calgary 81 92 Edmonton 113 105 Halifax 89 82 Hamilton 77 64 Kitchener-W aterloo 41 37 Kingston 38 37 London 57 41 Montreal 75 91 La Societe d ’Ast. de Mtl 114 59 Niagara 53 46 Ottawa 237 176 Quebec 113 87 St. John’s 9 13 Saskatoon 59 50 Sarnia 25 25 Toronto 702 739 Vancouver 128 108 Victoria 93 121 Windsor 41 41 Winnipeg 62 66 Unattached to Centres: Canada 396 390 United States 324 340 Overseas 38 54 Honorary 15 15 ---- ---- 2980 2879 PETER BROUGHTON, National Secretary The highlight of the year for the Calgary Centre was the construction of its new observatory and assembly building on the ground of Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School, 14 km south of Calgary. The observatory will be opened officially on January 29, 1983 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Calgary Centre. It is to be named the Wilson Coulee Observatory. The first sod was turned on August 11, 1982 and construction was completed by the end of October. The Centre was especially pleased to win awards at the General Assembly in Saskatoon, the first for the best Centre display and the second, the Overall Grand Prize. The former award included a $100.00 cash gift and the latter, a small Richfield telescope.